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Starting next month, thousands of government employees will only work 4 days per week, in an effort aimed at reducing energy costs and commuters' gasoline expenses.
Utah is going to a 4-day workweek to save energy - Jul. 3, 2008 (broken link)
This is a good step and I hope more states follow their lead. In addition, more businesses should offer telecommuting for those who live a great distance away. My job is one that could easily be done from home, and I work with people who commute from 70 miles away every day. They should be given the option of telecommuting.
Starting next month, thousands of government employees will only work 4 days per week, in an effort aimed at reducing energy costs and commuters' gasoline expenses.
Utah is going to a 4-day workweek to save energy - Jul. 3, 2008 (broken link)
I've got a different perceptive on this 4-day work week for "non-essential" Utah government employees: Privatization. IMO, this 4-day work week paves the way to privatize Utah government services such as DMV functions, records, public welfare, etc. Exactly how efficient do you think public employees are going to be when they have a 10 hour workday? Public employees can barley manage an 8 hour workday with two workers doing the job of one! My local courthouse has a 7 hour workday, when they show up! And what about Monday and Friday holidays? That's going to be too funny! I just believe that Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman is laying the groundwork to privatize these government functions with the basis being that private industry can do the job more efficiently and cost effectively on a normal 5 day workweek than the government bureaucrats can on a 4 day workweek. Just as a kicker, I can see the USPS dropping Saturday mail service in the not too distant future based upon the same rational as the State of Utah.
Steve Hazzard come to Indiana and see how wonderful privatization is working. It is not. Governor Daniels "leased" our state toll roads made welfare private and 1,000s mostly elderly and disabled got booted out of the system for over 8 months or more, some are still without. One person had an organ transplant where they needed to take anti-rejection medication for life. It didn't matter they still weren't put back in, local churches banned together to buy their meds until they got their Medicaid back. A family of 7 both parents lost their jobs due to closures were getting $600 or $700 a month in food stamps they lost them. The 'new system' said they didn't qualify. Hundreds if not thousands of stories like these.
I am all for getting lazy bums off the government systems but when folks have no other resource and have to depend on that system don't come to Indiana. It is wrong when a private company is profitting off the needs meant for ones that truly depend on it and deserve it. Why should a CEO rake in $130K for a salary when SS or SSI is expecting people on their rolls to live on under $700 per month income?
A town in my region just this week was looking into 4 day work weeks but they were wanting to decrease the work hours to 32 hours per week but not wages. If government wants to cut costs look at 4 day- 10 hour work days and don't make the "shut down day" on a Friday or Monday. If that is the case then employees shouldn't get an extra day off for holidays if they fall on a Fri or Mon! I realize the extra day hooked to the weekend helps cut utilities but too many people will abuse that by taking 4 day mini vacations more I feel. Our court systems are already back logged what would happen if they take another day off each week? If employees can't do their jobs fire them there are plenty of people unemployed that could take their spot! It all gets back to accountability and people remembering they have to earn what they are paid whether private or government. The first step to that is showing up daily for your job!
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,793,990 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxson
Steve Hazzard come to Indiana and see how wonderful privatization is working. It is not. Governor Daniels "leased" our state toll roads made welfare private and 1,000s mostly elderly and disabled got booted out of the system for over 8 months or more, some are still without. One person had an organ transplant where they needed to take anti-rejection medication for life. It didn't matter they still weren't put back in, local churches banned together to buy their meds until they got their Medicaid back. A family of 7 both parents lost their jobs due to closures were getting $600 or $700 a month in food stamps they lost them. The 'new system' said they didn't qualify. Hundreds if not thousands of stories like these.
I am all for getting lazy bums off the government systems but when folks have no other resource and have to depend on that system don't come to Indiana. It is wrong when a private company is profitting off the needs meant for ones that truly depend on it and deserve it. Why should a CEO rake in $130K for a salary when SS or SSI is expecting people on their rolls to live on under $700 per month income?
A town in my region just this week was looking into 4 day work weeks but they were wanting to decrease the work hours to 32 hours per week but not wages. If government wants to cut costs look at 4 day- 10 hour work days and don't make the "shut down day" on a Friday or Monday. If that is the case then employees shouldn't get an extra day off for holidays if they fall on a Fri or Mon! I realize the extra day hooked to the weekend helps cut utilities but too many people will abuse that by taking 4 day mini vacations more I feel. Our court systems are already back logged what would happen if they take another day off each week? If employees can't do their jobs fire them there are plenty of people unemployed that could take their spot! It all gets back to accountability and people remembering they have to earn what they are paid whether private or government. The first step to that is showing up daily for your job!
The reason that it has not worked is because the private business usually pays employees less and gives them far less benefits than the government did. And you get what you pay for. If a clerk that made $37,000 and had good benefits is cut to $27,000 and few benefits, they probably are not going to give you the same level of service.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,793,990 times
Reputation: 3587
The 4 day work week will never work. The massive adjustments people would have to make for it are too much. The whole world is based in 5 x 8 work days. This has been tried before and, in every case, the companies that tried it have went back to 5 day work weeks. Consider the following:
1 Employee fatique starts kicking in at about 7 hours. At 8 hours most employees are less productive than they were at 4 hours. 2 more hours would be even less productive!
2. Employees with children would have difficult schedules. Schools run on a 5 day week. Kids would be out of school at 3 or 4 and be home alone for 3 or 4 hours 4 days a week! Daycare providers also operate on 5 day schedules and they do not watch children after 6 PM most days. If somebody has to work from 8 to 7PM (8 hours plus lunch), nobody will do day care until 8PM.
3. 4 day work weeks do NOT save energy. The lights and AC are on in the office the extra 2 hours a day during the week and nothing is saved there. Gasoline will not be saved either. If the employee is going to have another day off, that employee is still going to drive. In fact, I would say that if it is Friday or Monday, you will see alot MORE driving as employees take 3 day vacations on weekends.
A town in my region just this week was looking into 4 day work weeks but they were wanting to decrease the work hours to 32 hours per week but not wages. If government wants to cut costs look at 4 day- 10 hour work days and don't make the "shut down day" on a Friday or Monday. If that is the case then employees shouldn't get an extra day off for holidays if they fall on a Fri or Mon! I realize the extra day hooked to the weekend helps cut utilities but too many people will abuse that by taking 4 day mini vacations more I feel. Our court systems are already back logged what would happen if they take another day off each week? If employees can't do their jobs fire them there are plenty of people unemployed that could take their spot! It all gets back to accountability and people remembering they have to earn what they are paid whether private or government. The first step to that is showing up daily for your job!
I'm familiar with the privatization efforts in Indiana. The problem is that the mechanics of the privatization were done "Bass Ackwards'! Privatization isn't like letting a contract for X number of yards of concrete, you need to have the right people in the right places with the right skills and motivations. It is my understanding, that was not the process in Indiana, the contracts went to the highest bidder without regards for the human factor involved in the conversion. No matter how disliked or contentious the situation may become, ans yes there will be persons who fall through the cracks on the way, privatization of government functions is the future. Everyone, including the government, is looking to "outsource" functions that were always performed in-house. Like it or not, privatization is here to stay!
The reason that it has not worked is because the private business usually pays employees less and gives them far less benefits than the government did. And you get what you pay for. If a clerk that made $37,000 and had good benefits is cut to $27,000 and few benefits, they probably are not going to give you the same level of service.
I hear you KevK and totally understand the concept. My gripe is with CEO's running these private medical related businesses are making such huge salaries that it leaves little money for employees or the benefits to the people they are supposed to be helping! Why does a person running/managing a nursing home warrant more than what a doctor makes? In the case with Advantage Health Solutions running IN's Medicaid why are the fat cats making more salary with huge benefits including car expenses while touting how much they are saving the state of IN? Because they are not capable of producing the results the state did with less money so they cut people off the system! Then claim they didn't receive paper work repeatedly. In the meantime people are going without and some even dying from lack of care.
If the states truly wanted to cut the fat on entitlement programs then they would raise up task forces to get the lazy scums milking the systems instead of further pushing down the ones that need it. If our whole country goes to national health care we will all be in the same boat. Just because the land of the free let the almighty dollar get in the way of common decent sense.
A town in my region just this week was looking into 4 day work weeks but they were wanting to decrease the work hours to 32 hours per week but not wages. If government wants to cut costs look at 4 day- 10 hour work days and don't make the "shut down day" on a Friday or Monday. If that is the case then employees shouldn't get an extra day off for holidays if they fall on a Fri or Mon! I realize the extra day hooked to the weekend helps cut utilities but too many people will abuse that by taking 4 day mini vacations more I feel. Our court systems are already back logged what would happen if they take another day off each week? If employees can't do their jobs fire them there are plenty of people unemployed that could take their spot! It all gets back to accountability and people remembering they have to earn what they are paid whether private or government. The first step to that is showing up daily for your job!
I'm speculating that should a holiday, and the government has many more than private industry , fall on a Monday or Friday (remember the Monday observed holidays?), the holiday pay would be included in the regular payroll, there would no be an additional day off with a 4-day workweek. I worked a union job with a 4-day workweek (Monday-Thursday) and that's how we were paid for a Friday holiday. With a predominance of Monday holidays, at the behest of government workers, I can't see the government employees being off work from Thursday to Tuesday, IMO, that just wouldn't fly with the taxpayers or consumers!
I'm familiar with the privatization efforts in Indiana. The problem is that the mechanics of the privatization were done "Bass Ackwards'! Privatization isn't like letting a contract for X number of yards of concrete, you need to have the right people in the right places with the right skills and motivations. It is my understanding, that was not the process in Indiana, the contracts went to the highest bidder without regards for the human factor involved in the conversion. No matter how disliked or contentious the situation may become, ans yes there will be persons who fall through the cracks on the way, privatization of government functions is the future. Everyone, including the government, is looking to "outsource" functions that were always performed in-house. Like it or not, privatization is here to stay!
You hit it right dead on the head in Indiana Steve. I do as well think some government could be more efficient privatized but when it deals with people's health I don't think the bid contract is the way to go. Plus I heard this outfit running IN's Medicaid already did so in other states and failed so why did IN hire them????? Money, greed I don't know it just shames me to know my state did it the way they did.
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Public employees can barley manage an 8 hour workday with two workers doing the job of one! My local courthouse has a 7 hour workday, when they show up! And what about Monday and Friday holidays? That's going to be too funny! I just believe that Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman is laying the groundwork to privatize these government functions with the basis being that private industry can do the job more efficiently and cost effectively on a normal 5 day workweek than the government bureaucrats can on a 4 day workweek. Just as a kicker, I can see the USPS dropping Saturday mail service in the not too distant future based upon the same rational as the State of Utah. 
